It's so uncouth.
If only we would start clinging to our French lessons as much as we cling to our guns and religion we would be a much more refined nation.
Pass the arugula, please.
(39 seconds)
Via Hannity and Colmes.
Tom Maguire posted the whole exchange from Salon.
Here's a piece of it:
You know, I don't understand when people are going around worrying about, "We need to have English- only." They want to pass a law, "We want English-only."Obama is all for culture, you know- French culture.
Now, I agree that immigrants should learn English. I agree with that. But understand this. Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English -- they'll learn English -- you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish. You should be thinking about, how can your child become bilingual? We should have every child speaking more than one language.
You know, it's embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe, and all we can say [is], "Merci beaucoup." Right?
More... Joshua adds---
Maybe Obama wants us all to learn French to read about his Financial backer and French fugitive on the run, le George Soros?And, Datatroll has this:
Le Fugitive, le pew, le Soros?
French? Only an elitist snob would think that's important. Heck, even Rwanda, a former French colony, is switching over to English from French as the official language. It's good for business.Merci beaucoup.
UPDATE: Obama should have given this speech in France.
TIME Magazine reported last week:
According to a recent international survey, the French are now considered the most obnoxious tourists from European nations, behind only Indians and the last-place Chinese as the worst among countries worldwide...Hat Tip Andrew Graff
American tourists fared well in some surprising ways. Despite being notoriously language-limited, for example, they top the list of tourists credited with trying to speak local languages the most, with the French, Chinese, Japanese, Italians and Russians coming in last in the local-language rankings.
UPDATE 2: Obama to the League of United Latin American Citizens yesterday:
"Sí, se puede!" Obama, who doesn't speak Spanish, said as he arrived on stage.UPDATE 3: Via Power Line, Rasmussen reported that Americans overwhelmingly disagree with the latest elitist comments by Sn-Obama:
Americans reject Obama's call for bilingualism, with 83% of respondents placing a higher priority on encouraging immigrants to speak English as their primary language. Just 13% took the opposite view saying it is more important for Americans to learn other languages.Power Line also noted that 85% of America's 17 million high school students were graduating with two or more years of foreign language.
And I thought that the Democrats could never come up with someone who made Jean-Francois Kerry look like an All-American patriot and a "regular guy".
ReplyDeleteI was wrong.
On the other hand this clip will make a wonderful commercial for the Republicans.
One other thing...
Why is Obama is wasting time in Europe? Is it because he does not know that France is not one of the 57 states?
But how many of those Europeans can speak Klingon ?
ReplyDeletetlhIngan maH! Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam
Hab SoSlI' Quch! bIjatlh 'e' yImev
More people now speak Klingon than Esperanto.
I believe all Americans should be able to say "f#ck you!" in other languages.
ReplyDeleteDoes Ebonics count as a second language ?
ReplyDeleteEnglish is the international language. In countries that have a different native language, except France, business meetings will be conducted in English if their are participants from other countries involved. Diplomatic meetings, even at the EU will be conducted in English, much to the chagrin of the French. That means that everyone educated outside the English speaking world will receive basic language instruction in English.
ReplyDeleteBut when you live in the English speaking world, and in particular the US, and you take your second language course, it would most likely be Spanish, since that is the second most spoken language in the US.
The US has first, second and even third generation immigrants, all US citizens, that have maintained their ancestral language. We are a multilingual society. I personally can speak two other languages other than English, German and Italian. One learned in school and one is self taught.
I have had this discussion online with primarily Dutch and French nationals. They always say, if I can speak English to you why can't you speak Dutch or French back to me. I tell them, as an English speaker there is a large number of second languages for me to choose from, for you there is only one and that is English.
Maybe Obama wants us all to learn French to read about his Financial backer and French fugitive on the run, le George Soros?
ReplyDeleteLe Fugitive, le pew, le Soros?
Did wanted French fugitive, Soros meet with Obama in New York City?
Seek the Truth
Did Soros raise $60K for Obama in 2004 Senate run? After he predicted Obama's rise to power?
Smiles...
M1Media - Response to Obama-trons!
anonymous 11:12pm,
ReplyDeleteExactly, English is the international business language since the sun set on the British Empire. One tiny island's language spread round the world.
Immigrants learn English often in anticipation of arriving here before they step foot on shore. Even old enemies like Russia today many students learn English, starting at 5 with motivated parents and it is taught weekly in business classes as well for motivated business people.
Europe is a wondeful hodge podge of different nations and cultures. The French long chagrined that English is international language.
I've traveled to multiple European countries, far to many to learn all the languages. One must be practical, learn basics and a $99 translator helps.
As to learning Spanish, that is practical, but it is more than about language. Obama is not addressing the elephant in the room. It is about assimulation into America, as a melting pot.
Today, illegal immigrants do not melt into the population. They're isolated and led often by racist groups like La Raza.
Our leaders have failed on both sides to address one of the largest problems for American society today. It will take a generation to work out. The last thing we need as a society is to become like Canada with bilingual enforcement. Therefore, common sense people understand the need for one common language. If Obama understands that "legal" immigrants must learn english, then how can he be against a law for it?
We're not Europe, though we have immigrants from there and from around the world. Germans all learn German as their first language and English, French, etc., as their second or third. Same with the French, Italians, etc., etc.
So his argument is a strawman. All countries are responsible for teaching students a common language or there is chaos.
For business... top 15 nations in population do not include France.
China 1,321 19.84%
India 1,132 16.96%
United States 304 4.56%
Indonesia 232 3.47%
Brazil 187 2.80%
Pakistan 163 2.44%
Bangladesh 159 2.38%
Nigeria 148 2.22%
Russia 142 2.13%
Japan 128 1.92%
Mexico 107 1.60%
Philippines 89 1.33%
Vietnam 84 1.31%
Germany 82 1.23%
Egypt 81 1.13%
--------------------
Total 4,356 65.32%
If priorities are made by actual needs in the real world.
Spanish(trade, neighbors)
Chinese(trade)
India(growing trade)
Arabic(obvious)
...and on down the line. But Obama is just insulting and lecturing people instead of facing the real problem of illegals and the very real need to shut down our borders to more illegals. And the very real problem of cultural blackholes that end up not assimulating into the American mainststream of society with lack of English.
I should be able to travel anywhere in this nation, speak english and not worry about the need for a translator. That is the common sense, speak enlgish theme for our nation.
Students can learn second, third languages, in fact I'd encourage it as good for memory and learning skills as ways of improving intelligence. But address the real issues about bilingual issues in our country, don't lecture us.
Mister Obama.
ReplyDeleteWe don't speak French in Europe! And on the day we do, I will personally invade France.
In Austria, you start learning English in your 3rd grade while you're still in elementary school. Simple reason is: it's impossible without English. It's the new international language. Ages ago French was exactly that. All the "royal" courts in Europe spoke French, the diplomats spoke French.
Besides... from all the western languages English is the easiest one grammar wise. I've learned French and English at school, I'm a native speaker of German and I say... English is the easiest of those three.
And I hate German as language (and meanwhile as country too, the big brother who's totally spineles and weak, bah!)
Well sadly I have to admit I was in France in May of last year and the funny this was, "Cette dollar parle francais"...
ReplyDeleteLiving in New York has provided a wealth of international culture.
ReplyDeleteI can curse in several languages.
Do you think that's what Obama meant?
"...immigrants should learn English...But...Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English...you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish."
ReplyDeleteSo once again Obama "agrees" only to dismiss the point--which is to say, he doesn't really agree. Must be nice being the Magic Candidate.
A second language is indeed a powerful tool; my son is fluent in Chinese. Alas, I am linguistically-challenged enough to know when I'm in trouble with the Chinese-born wife (I can fuss and even swear fluently :)
ReplyDeleteHowever, French? Only an elitist snob would think that's important. Heck, even Rwanda, a former French colony, is switching over to English from French as the official language. It's good for business.
I just think it's fairly important that English doesn't become the second language here in the U.S.
I would agree with Obama, except for a different reason. I don't care about impressing the French, who by the way, were recently rated very low on their desirability as tourists.
ReplyDeleteInstead, we should each learn a second language because the U.S. is always ending up in military adventures in far-flung places where we don't know the language. If tomorrow we end up in Kazakhstan, Malaysia or Mozambique, it would be nice to have a few mainstream Americans who know the relevant languages so that our armed forces don't need to rely on either recent immigrants or natives, who may be untrustworthy.
JFP
You know, it's embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe, and all we can say [is], "Merci beaucoup." Right?
ReplyDelete---------------------
Any more embarrassing than when your wife gets up and unloads a bitter rant, or, when your preacher of twenty-plus years gets up and gives a bitter rant?
So if all these foreign countries teach English as a second language, why is it that all the Mexicans coming into the U.S. can´t speak English???
ReplyDeleteI never before realised that Obama was a snob.
ReplyDeleteTo express a wish that we American speak French on our vacations in Europe assumes; 1] that we have the funds to travel 2] that our relatives all speak French even though they might be Swedish, Italian, Greek, Lancastrian, Irish, Scots, etc., etc.
Obama once more shows his immaturity.
We don't need French. We need Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, and Hindi.
ReplyDeleteAhh... he will get along famously with the French. They are both rude.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, Obama's claim is non-factual and says more about his biases than the actual behavior of American tourists.
In a recent survey of hotel staff in France, American tourists actually recieved very high marks for attempting to communicate in French.
My guess is that the French visiting the US are for the most part wealthy "upper class" who know english as part of their business requirements. Whereas the majority of US visiting France are likely middle class enjoying a higher standard of living and more disposable income.
ReplyDeleteBesides who wants to talk like a "Cheese eating surrender monkey"
Obama's point makes more sense in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteI live in a suburb that's at least 98% Latino. The advantage, in this community, is to be bilingual. My own gringo kids are coming out of the schools with no Spanish ability, but the Latino kids are coming out bilingual.
Who has the upper hand in this community, then?
Why are the public schools discriminating against my kids by not teaching bilingualism to them, as well as the Latinos?
An amazing amount of time is spent teaching English; that is, an amazing amount of time is spent giving Latino kids an advantage mine won't have (unless we teach them Spanish ourselves).
This is a case where "English only" makes no sense at all. It underserves gringos in Latino communities.
I think some folks who bray about "English only" are more concerned about Latino conformance than they are about the realities on the ground.
This is a conservative speaking, here.
My son took latin rather than spanish in high school. His view was latin would be more useful than spanish. His words "I don't plan on mowing yards for a living."
ReplyDeleteExpanding your knowledge of the world, stretching your mind and being a good guest are snobbish?
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, Soros is Hungarian.
Well, I for one can't wait to hear Obama speak French and German while visiting Europe. I look forward to the youtube video that captures him saying "Merci, beaucoup" to the guy handling his luggage. And we all stand ready to be impressed by his use of Arabic and Farsi when he hits the Middle East. What? He doesn't know these languages either? He certainly had plenty of time while in private school and at Harvard to pick up two or three languages, right?
ReplyDeleteGood job, there, Obama, giving new life to typical Euro stereotyping of Americans as uncouth rubes. Make sure you order the snails to show us dolts how to travel sans embarras.
Well excuse me Barack, but I am an American Conservative, and I can speak 3 languages very fluently, including your beloved French, but you know what? I don't accommodate people who don't actually try to speak English like you would like.
ReplyDeleteMaudit Barack! Si t'aime France aussi bien, demenagez la toi meme et sauvez-nous la peine de voir ton nom la 4 Novembre!
Wait, France ISN'T one of the 57 states!?? Since when!? (But I sure am glad they can't vote in our elections.)
ReplyDeleteI agree that bilingualism is a serious asset, and not having enough speakers of other languages is a serious liability for our foreign policy from State to blogger.
Most non-native English speakers aren't going to read English blogs, but there are vibrant blogging communities in many other languages. We need to have Americans blogging in every major language to get our viewpoint out there.
This from a man that campaigned in 57 states with 1 more to go...hmmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteNot learning another language and "Expanding your knowledge of the world, stretching your mind and being a good guest are snobbish?" are not mutually exclusive. Neither does learning another language automatically make you knowledgeable, sophisticated, or a good guest.
ReplyDeleteFor most commenters here, Orwell had it right in Nineteen Eighty-Four: "Ignorance is Strength."
ReplyDeleteExplain to me again, please, why it's better to have less knowledge than more? And less knowledge, in particular, of an outside world whose problems are pressing on the United States--and vice versa--in an ever more urgent fashion with every passing day?
The purpose of studying a language--any language--is not just to be able to order a beer on one's holidays. It makes it possible to understand how people outside one's own country think. It fosters an understanding of that people's history. This isn't something one does for the sake of intellectual stimulation or "well-roundedness" alone. A hundred years ago it might have been. Today, these are essential survival skills for the twenty-first century. Prior to 9/11, the number of B.A. degrees awarded annually in Arabic in this country could be counted on the fingers of both hands. Do you suppose that might have had anything at all to do with the U.S.' unpreparedness on that day? Or that the people charged with monitoring Al Qaeda in the Maghreb or the GIA in Algeria (to say nothing of what's probably being cooked up in some high-rise housing project in Clichy-sous-Bois as we speak) couldn't use a few more capable Francophones to help them out? Pop quiz: would the U.S. be stronger, wealthier, more secure and better able to head trouble off at the pass if it had a lot more people able to understand Chinese, Pashto, Turkish (check out today's daily newspaper), Russian and Farsi--or not?
Practically everyone takes at least three years of language study in high school in this country--usually Spanish. Most of them come out unable to translate a taco menu. In Luxembourg or Switzerland, ten-year-old kids are able to switch between French, German and English in successive sentences almost without knowing they're doing it. Perhaps, in the national interest, it's time to start asking why.
It's funny how many US place names are French - after all, they were first to explore most of the continent. How do they say it - seis la vie?
ReplyDeleteMy in-laws lost French in two generations from the original Canadian immigrants, but my mother's side took two hundred years to lose Pennsylvania German. Go figure.
French is good for historical and literary research purposes. Like Ugaritic.
In Luxembourg or Switzerland, an hour drive brings one into a community that does not speak the same language. Here I could drive for a week and not meet a non-English speaker.
ReplyDeleteIt's an unfair comparison, the need for the average American to learn another language is not as great. But I agree we still ought to push language more.
We don't know the Spanish we were taught - I have news for you, we don't know English either. Education is in need of substantial reform.
Frankly, I've always found it easier to teach the natives English. They're smarter than we are and they're eager to learn (so they can get to America). Teach a man to fish, and all that.
ReplyDeleteTrust me learning a second language is not all it is cracked up to be, and we really should not bother with the European languages, there is no growth there, the former English colonies, India, Australia, and most of Asia have at least a passing knowlege of American. Becasue in the states we do not speak English.
ReplyDeleteI speak many different languages, my native Pennsylvanian, Ohioan, New Yorkian, etc. I am able to travel through an area larger than Europe and be able to be understood by the natives.
ReplyDeleteMy Indian friends told me what difficulties that people have in India with the various languages. They use English as the common language.
Multiple languages on postage stamp size countries is not something to be admired.
"...the need for the average American to learn another language is not as great."
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree less.
The people of Luxembourg or Switzerland can probably get away with not knowing or caring what's going on in Algeria or Mauritania.
The people of the U.S. cannot.
Nor can these deficiencies be made up overnight. Who in 1985 would have fingered Iraq or Afghanistan as the almost exclusive preoccupations of the United States in the twenty-first century?
The U.S. is now the most globalised country on the planet--economically and strategically. But its people continue to believe (a mentality well-represented on this thread) that they can go on knowing as little about the outside world as their great-grandparents did. If they don't ditch that mindset in double-quick time, they're in for a world of avoidable hurt.
So let me get this straight. If Americans travel to another country WE ought to be able to speak their language (or at least French) out of courtesy of something. And its great that Europeans who visit here can speak English. But Mexicans who come here illegally to live shouldn't have to learn English --- we have to learn Spanish so as not to embarrass or inconvenience them.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I get it now.
Perhaps we could consider this... if public schools could first learn how to make native-born children actually fluent in written and spoken English, with only 14 years of formal instruction...
ReplyDeleteWhat!? Doesn't the fact that an 1/8 of the population legal or not now speak Spanish is chicken feed? I mean what the hell! Obama expects them now to assimilate and know English too!
ReplyDeleteLos horrores!
Nearly 70 years ago a few Americans, Brits and others died so that the French would not be speaking German, but perhaps that has been forgotten by Obama, if indeed he was ever aware of it.
ReplyDeleteGustave, there's a lot more to knowing about the outside world than language. And our culture is not unique in its ignorance. Why can't I print something in France that is not in French? That's real cultural snobbery.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Americans should strive to know more languages, and for many of the reasons you cite. But for the average American there is less practical need to know another language. This is a fact. Most Americans don't even have a passport - not because we are ignorant, but because we don't need one for our daily lives. We really don't.
There was a time when French was the lingua franca - pun intended. There always has been one. That's the way it is. The French were not expected to know other languages, because everyone wanted to know French. You also have to consider the lingua franca effect in your calculations.
Why it's "Je ne sais quoi.".
ReplyDeleteThere is a reason why they learn our language and we don't learn ours. Its because we are more important. There, I said it.
ReplyDeleteAnd only a democrat would want that to change.
A.W.
Is there some Lefty Point-Missing Olympic sport that I'm unaware of, and are they all training heavily for it?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, deciding it's a good idea to learn English as a second language is easy for any individual looking for a lot of opportunities.
How do you decide which language is likely to repay your efforts (and it is an effort for most people, especially if they begin to learn after childhood)? For instance, abou 10 years ago I was teaching at a university which had 5 professors of Russian in a Russian language department that offered more than 20 courses in Russian. They had *one* student majoring in Russian and perhaps 4 minoring!! Why? Because the main reason for learning Russian ended with the end of the Cold War!! Where is the payoff?
Which second language would likely pay off most for students starting today? Well, maybe Chinese (good luck wiyh that. As a tonal language with at least 5 major dialects which can be largely non-understandable among themselves), given there's no change from the current world situation. Not Hindi/Urdu. Why? Because 1,000,000,000 Indians are currently busy learning English and they'll be better at that that you will be at Hindi (and, besides, it has a huge dialect problem, too).
Look, basic English is easily learned well enough to make yourself understood, and in the US many of us not only make an effort to understand broken English spoken in a weird accent (after all, in all probability we have some loved relative who speaks this way), we rather expect to meet such folks.
So. Sure learning a second language is a good idea, but trying to both guess which one (French is pretty much at the bottom of any reasonable list of major languages) to learn AND push/humiliate others into accepting you choice is, indeed, snobbish elitism.
I suppose we could admit that Obama's snobbish elitism was learned voluntarily and not something he was raised with, but I fail to see how that lets him off the hook.
they can go on knowing as little about the outside world as their great-grandparents did
ReplyDeleteUh, our great-grandparents WERE the outside world.
I'm German (Hesse-Kassel & Palatinate), Welsh, English, Swiss (Basil), my wife is French, our siblings married Chinese, Italian, Irish, my kids go to school with Cherokee, African, Puerto Rican etc etc - my son works with Laotians.
I had a Moroccan neighbor (it was actually a Ukrainian neighborhood), I work with poles, Russians, Lebanese. At least I think so from their last names.
You are talking about America. We ARE the world. There are more Germans, Irish, etc here than in their homelands.
And they keep coming.
Loads of Americans studied at least the basics of another language in school. Most did not have a great choice among languages. They did not have access to books, magazines, TV shows, or internet to improve on those basics, nor were they able to spend summers abroad. It is not necessarily lazines or lack of interest. Of course, Obama wouldn't know this because he has no idea of how most Americans live.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that with the resources available today, there should be a revamp of our language education programs. Kids could start earlier, and classroom time could be supplemented with DVDs and interactive internet sites. Kid's books and magazines could be ordered on the web. The most important thing is to have access to the living language. You wouldn't even needed fully accredited teachers. It should be pretty easy to train native speakers as language mentors that could guide kids through the basics of a new language.
IMHO, Eurpeans speak English because we arranged it so they all didn't speak German.
ReplyDeleteI lived and went to junior and high school in West Germany and Belgium in the 80's and we did our best to represent our country well. They respected our differences for the most part and didn't scoff at our lack of fluency in their languages.
So, STFU Barry, ya empty suit elitest snob.
I swear we are looking at John "French-looking/speaking" Kerry and the first black Bill Clinton with John Edwards' pathetic civic resume pandering to anyone lulled into a daze by the sound of his voice.
If we elect this snake oil salesman, our country deserves to be attacked from all sides, over, and over, and over again until we finally figure out that it is not America that is world for the world, rather it is the world that is bad for America.
OK, now to get my second cup of coffee of the day.
Explain to me again, please, why it's better to have less knowledge than more?
ReplyDeleteThe ability to speak French does not demonstrate a lack of ignorance. In fact, its more often used to shield the ignorant while they pretend to be enlightened and sophisticated.
And less knowledge, in particular, of an outside world whose problems are pressing on the United States--and vice versa--in an ever more urgent fashion with every passing day?
Such an ironic statement. European attitudes toward America are fed by hate-mongering propaganda machines. So much for the "enlightenment" and "sophistication" of the Euro-trash.
The purpose of studying a language--any language--is not just to be able to order a beer on one's holidays. It makes it possible to understand how people outside one's own country think. It fosters an understanding of that people's history.
Certainly. But that hasn't helped the multi-lingal Euro's understand America any better.
This isn't something one does for the sake of intellectual stimulation or "well-roundedness" alone.
Of course. But in case you hadn't noticed, its merely being used as a tool to bash Americans as ignorant rubes.
BTW, speaking French in the ME will get you kidnapped or killed. Its amazing how the locals brighten up when you speak English. I'm reminded of the village elder in Baderra, Somolia who had an anti-tank mine planted in his village square for the day the French came back. He went out and dug it up once he learned the Americans were coming instead. Saved my life, as I was the gunner for the lead tank in that convoy.
Gustave, it isn't a question of whether people knowing a second language is a good thing. It is a question of resources.
ReplyDeleteWhy should be devote our educational resources to skills which will be useful to very small percentage of the America public. The vast majority of Americans, simply do not have a daily, weekly or even yearly need for a foreign language. Perhaps 1% of students will ever work in or with foreign countries, so it makes little to no sense to devote major efforts to foreign languages.
A more common sense approach would be to focus on more univerisal skills such as math, science, technology, trade and finance which can be utilized both domestically and internationally, especially if Americans are the GoTo specialists in those areas.
Those interested in foreign languages will obtain those skills but exactly contrary to Obama's thoughts it should not be a major focus of our education resources. In fact, a truly knowledge person would have said the exact opposite of what Obama said:
"We shouldn't worry about those who want to learn a foreign language but we, instead, should focus on ensuring that all immigrants are able to communicate in English"
Barack-
ReplyDeleteBaisez-vous!
Pipez-moi!
Now for the other side of the coin.
ReplyDeleteI'm done making excuses for ignorance. We need to overhaul our educational system and we need to do it now. Language should be introduced younger, and we should concentrate on the more "exotic" languages. Fluency should be expected. But that's the tip of the educational iceberg - illiteracy is rampant in our inner cities. We have a long way to go.
Language ignorance is a problem for America - not having enough Arabic speakers, for instance. The prevalence of English on this continent and around the world makes it a little harder for us to learn other languages due to lack of exposure and lack of need. But we didn't get where we are by turning away from difficult tasks.
Nella mia opinione non c'e un tipo d'Americano piu brutto che un politico che parla male del suo paese quando sta in un altro paese. Pense che devo imparare francese? Bene, lui puo fancularsi...
ReplyDeleteB. A. Blake said...
ReplyDeleteSoros is a fugitive, on the run from the law in France. So, lets call him the Hungarian billionaire fugitive on the run from the French. Happy now?
Crook Soros Convicted in France
We know he grew up in Hungary selling the furniture of Jews that were taken away from the Nazis. He admits to not feeling guilty at selling their valuables because according to him, "someone else would've done it." And he admits to "having a messiah complex," which made him feel uncomfortable in tne past, but not today. Guess that billionaire complex works.
This may explain him funding another arrogant elitist like Obama who thinks he's God's gift to us poor, uneducated masses.
He believes being a crook billionaire, raiding countries banks and currency has now made him some champion of the people. He's the kind of man with crony friends and crooks like Marc Rich, that helped to single handedly undermine the fledgling new democracy of Russia by raiding its currency and commodities markets. The Russian people were scared to death of Free Market enterprise after that nifty move. And rushed back into the arms of strong man Putin.
He is a disgusting man trying to force his worldviews thru backdoor financing on all of us thru the far left candidates he spends his billions on. The most rant crazy lunatics from DailyKos, MoveOn, etc., are all supported by his so-called Open Society.
The purpose of studying a language... makes it possible to understand how people outside one's own country think. It fosters an understanding of that people's history.
ReplyDeleteAgain, if that was true, then why do most Euro's think I'm JR simply because I hail from Dallas Texas? I don't even have an accent, b/c I was raised in Bermuda.
And yet, they insist on clinging to their ignorant bigoted stereotypes of what Heartland America is all about. For that matter, so does Obama. Perhaps he should learn to speak English?
We need to overhaul our educational system and we need to do it now. Language should be introduced younger, and we should concentrate on the more "exotic" languages. Fluency should be expected.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with that, so long as the first "exotic" language we have them focus on is Mathmatics.
It'll be a hell of alot more useful than learning how to declare a surrender in French.
BTW,
ReplyDeleteI have a stepson who speaks Russian, French and English. I hope one day he'll grow up to do great things in life. But I do not need to insist upon him learning spanish due to illegal immigration issues in our country. Nor do I need a lecturing from someone like Obama.
His mother and I agreed, these three languages are enough and if he decides to learn more in the future he can do so of his own volition.
So how many languages does Obama speak? Just curious.
ReplyDeletepeople continue to believe (a mentality well-represented on this thread) that they can go on knowing as little about the outside world as their great-grandparents did.
ReplyDeleteI have to take issue with this too. We know a great deal about the outside world. So much so, that we are able to recognize propaganda rags like the NYTs and instead seek out objective information from less biased sources. Same for CNN International. If you thought it was bad in the US, turn it on overseas.
In short, you can speak 100 languages and, if you still get your intel from corrupt information brokers, you'll remain truly ignorant re the outside world.
Obama was merely pandering to a group of his core supporters: the folks so mercilessly pilloried at http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com
ReplyDeleteIts all a moot point anyway. In ten years, vacationers to Europe will only need to speak Arabic.
ReplyDeleteOf course English is the lingua franca. When Singapore had to choose between Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, they chose ... English, which is now the principal official language.
ReplyDeleteBut I think this country is clearly willing to accept bilingualism. So of course we should learn Spanish, and of course we don't need "English only" laws. If I'm right, "English only" initiatives in this country (unlike, say, in Quebec) were intended to incentivize, not punish, non-speakers. But it's too late for that.
And you immigrants who speak only Chinese, Arabic or Russian - Surprise! Becoming an American just became twice as much fun. Just wait until you have to demonstrate competence in both languages to get a taxi license, let alone to gain citizenship.
PS - I speak French, and I'm glad I do. Where would you rather get your tendentious leftism: Le Monde or the NYT?
That great-grandparents outside world quote is sweet - it shows more ignorance of what America is than anything I have ever read. I am still laughing.
ReplyDeleteGustave,
ReplyDeleteBut its people continue to believe (a mentality well-represented on this thread) that they can go on knowing as little about the outside world as their great-grandparents did. If they don't ditch that mindset in double-quick time, they're in for a world of avoidable hurt.
My, my, my...aren't you the pontificating, arrogant and ignorant snob!
I hate to break this to you but our grandparents came from the rest of the world. My Italian grandparents and family still spoke Italian and in fact I am directly related to about 40% of the inhabitants of Locana. I did not know my Irish grandparents (County Clare and County Kerry) because they had both died before I was born but we certainly knew our Irish heritage.
I grew up in Minneapolis where there are more Swedes then in Stockholm, the phone book has 40+ pages of Johnson's and where every year there is a big Swedish heritage festival called Svenskarnas Dag. It was not unusual to hear Swedish, Danish or Finnish spoken. The Finns were more up in northern Minnesota where my grandparents lived.
I lived in North Dakota for about 12 years. When I was married my in-laws still spoke Norwegian in the home, as did about half of the county. Every Sunday the local restaurant had a Norwegian buffet and if you were plopped down at it you would have sworn you were in Stavanger. After a couple of years I moved to Bismarck where being bi-lingual in German would prove to be most helpful.
Where I live now there are people from over 100 different nationalities who all live and work together. I can go to the market or a movie and hear just about every language in the world spoken-Urdu, Hindi, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, German, Greek, Czech, Japanese, Arabic, Turkish, French, Portuguese, Thai etc.. We have Diwali festivals, Cinco de Mayo, Fiestas Patrias, Chinese New Year festival, Slavic festivals, Greek festivals, Cuban festivals, Festa Italiana, Oktoberfest along with all the American holidays-you name it, we got it.
So, to put it bluntly, you can take your arrogance and ignorance and stick it where the sun don't shine, Gustave. Come back when you actually know something about America and Americans instead of parroting all the typical ignorant biased BS you read in your newspapers and magazines.
Rasqual,
ReplyDeleteI should not be required to learn spanish as an advantage in my own country. That's the main point. Get it? We should all have the same advantages, a level playing field. That is the practicality of English as the National language.
It is not english only exclusivity as a cultural bias. But as a practical issue in business transactions and government.
Whatever advantages bilingual abilities may give another depends upon what community they grow up in or do busines in, correct? Like for example Polish or Chinese? What about Russian? Should children be forced to learn spanish that grow up in NYC around Russian immigrants? Or in Seattle?
The advantages are local, not national. They can be used internationally. But, legal immmigrants must learn English if they desire success in America.
Local communities and school boards can determine whatever languages they like to teach given practial considerations. You can get involved, demand a better education for your child if your not happy.
But we do not need lectures from on high by a man that brushes everyone else racist in a general election with one swipe of his own racist rhetoric. He gets no respect from me on this issues as it is just one more faux paux and avoidance of difficult issues we must solve in this country.
His line about learning Spanish is nothing more than pandering to a large segment of our society and is no different than many other leftist espousing multi-culture solutions. And is less inspiring coming from him, a flip flopper and frankly a liar on many issues.
He sit for 20 years of racist hatred in a Church, then pretended he had not heard his minister preach such hate. He has no credibility on such issues of multi-culture and ethnic values to me.
We have millions of immigrants in this country that do great service and work, that bring value and joy to this nation.
But, we are inundated by illegal immigrants from South America and Mexico, far to many because both parties failed us in protecting our borders.
Immigration is a great thing for America and immigrants alike. But out of control illegal immigration is creating a huge burden across health, education and other services for taxpayors and undercuts wages for blue collar workers.
As to languages, I listed out the world population and agree it is advantageous to know different languages for each child. That is a parental issue and responsibility. But Obama avoids the main point. We are not a bilingual nation of english and spanish. He favors one immigrant population(largely illegal) over others by such brash, unthinking statements. This is outrageous to all the other immigrants from around the world that came here legally and work hard to assimulate to American life in a giant melting pot that can be shared by one language.
Spanish is not our only choice in life with 1.2 billion Chinese and 1.1 billion people in India. We have millions here from Asia, India, Russia. There are more considerations than Mexico and South America.
If you're upset about your children not learning Spanish. Teach them yourself. There are wonderful new programs like Rosetta Stone you can purchase today to immerse them in starting from a very young age.
Meanwhile, insisting we learn Spanish is avoiding the real problems we have in this country. And it does not acknowledge the problems of illegal immigration.
He is simply throwing Americans under the bus for a pretentious elitist statement and lecturing us about our rights as American citizens. Telling us we do not have rights as We the People to determine our countries future for legal business and governmental transactions.
We have every right to demand a single language for business and government. And that our nation not be divided bilingually due to illegal immigration, law breakers and lazy politicians that refuse to do their jobs.
Conformist? Really? So you think then every immigrant should just forget learning english? Refuse? Do you think I or anyone else here wants to force Russians, Irish, Arabs, Asians, Mexicans, Brazilians, etc., to lose their cultural heritage by learning the evil English language? LOL.
Do we shut down Cinco de Mayo? Do we stop immigrant parades or cultural heritage day? Of course not! We join in! We celebrate!
We love all the mish mash of cultures and peoples. It makes our nation great! But be practical, one language for all Americans. It saves money, time and labor.
It is much more advantageous for the immigrant to learn english to move up in America unless they only want to do business in East LA or other small barrios around the nation. That is fine if they only want to do business in small locales. But if they want to expand, English is required.
To insist someones child from Anytown, USA learn spanish is impractical if that student never intends to use it in life. The parents decide and the student as they grow older which direction they may go in. And it may be they want to learn any number of hundreds of languages from around the world depending upon their goals, dreams and heritage in life.
This is an Independent view from someone who has traveled the world and knows that Spanish; though important regionally, is not the only language we need to know today. Especially while in a long war abroad from Indonesia to the Middle East and Asian countries where we lack Arabic skills.
Spasibo, Do svidanija
Gustave -
ReplyDeleteThe reasons many Europeans speak English is because its the dominant commercial and cultural language in the world - making it the logical choice for a second language. The reason for a second language is that many European languages have a small number of native speakers representing relatively small economies. In a globalized economy, moving through life with, say, Icelandic or Slovenian as your only language would be a bit challenging.
Contrast this with the average person in the US who lives on a continent with close to 300MM speakers of English, representing 20%+ of global GDP. There is no second language in the world that would offer anywhere near the same payback that a European gets from learning English.
As to Farsi and Arabic, there is no argument that these are strategically useful languages. However, there are real challenges to encouraging Americans to develop competance in these languages. Firstly, the ability to live among native speakers is limited and unattractive. Women make up a majority of the university students in the US and few to none would be willing to live for a year or two in most of the Arab world or Iran. Secondly, even for men, these countries are generally considered very unattractive places to live by western standards. So we are reduced to very expensive immersion classes at places like the armed forces language school in Monterey.
Nahanni,
ReplyDeleteTell em!
People like Gustave believe what our leftist hollywood morons put on screen.
America has the greatist immigrants from around the world!
I love this country for its diversity and the forethought of our ancestors and leaders. We have that Statue of Liberty for a reason given to us by the French.
Much of this type of rhetoric is common, ordinary envy.
----
Excellent points all. Being from Louisiana... well, we talk Creole :) lol... but now a Texan, I live with friends and immigrants from all over the world. We dine, meet, greet with friend from Chinese to Thai, Greek to Ethiopian and support diverse groups from Kenya to Russia.
Urbanites like Obama try to pigeon-hole Americans into some false squared hole box. He likes to pretend he alone is above us all, due to his own judgemental arrogance or Harvard educated bias.
He speaks like a leftist, finger-pointing professor, not a leader.
He constantly wants to knock Americans down instead of lifting us up, except of course when he lifts us up with corny National Civilian Security plans?
huhhhh? LOL.
LOL, there are some really good responses here. sorry I cannot remember all names.
ReplyDelete1) Uh, what about teaching good enlish to start? LOL!
2) Better than German WWII! LOL!
3) 10 years, Arabic in Europe! Gosh, I can't laugh at that.
Well, OK, in a monty python, english way I can! LOL... well... we can all have a good laugh at this in many ways.
Hey, is Monty Python ever going to do a Bhurka skit? Ya know, get all the old english comedians to dress up and dance round in a bhurka?
They were so brave mocking catholics and protestants. Come on you english comics! What, Sharia got your tongue? If anyone across the pond knows of any Monty Python flicks making fun of Islam, let me know.
Bottom line, as someone else stated English won due to many fortuitous battles long ago. But being bilingual is great for business and learning skills.
Gustave ...
ReplyDelete... understanding is a two-way street.
Instead of you and your fellow-travelers taking the time to tell us what we should do in order to understand y'all ...
... why don't y'all take some time to study the importance of holding "these truths to be self-evident", instead?
Whether or not a nation views those truths as self-evident ...
... to the point that their preservation and application are the central focus of its systems of governance, even to the point of inhibiting the whims, of despot and do-gooder alike, to impose their thinking upon us all ...
... is the watershed between being a pillar of our global civilization, and a threat to it, in this day and age.
That is a far more essential understanding for today, than even that gleaned by learning another language ... for the lack of that understanding has fostered a moral equivalence among many, that has in turn led free people to treat dictator and democrat with the same deference ... an error in judgment that has resulted in the dictators and their fellow-travelers in totalitarian rule being left alone to become greater threats to peace in my life time.
Your approach to understanding does little to reverse that error ... for, as long as it is rooted in that same moral equivalence, it ignores the fact that some social/economic/political systems are objectively better than others with respect to applying those self-evident truths.
So pack up your condescending attitude, and hit the books. When you understand, join with us and persuade others to consider those truths self-evident ... and act accordingly.
THAT is how sustainable peace is produced.
I'm with Gustave, whom you people have misunderstood. He's not being a snob. He's just pointing out that having some ordinary Americans trained in a variety of foreign languages might have helped us prevent 9/11. Isn't that worth it?
ReplyDeleteAnd his point about great-grandparents assumed (yes, incorrectly, in some cases) that they were living here in America. At that time, Americans just didn't need to learn a foreign language, but the situation is different today.
Let me put it this way. If we needed to send troops to Kazakhstan tomorrow, whom would we depend on to do our translating? We'd either have to rely on the locals or else a few recent immigrants. Maybe this will work and maybe it won't. But it would be far better to have a few mainstream Americans trained in it ahead of time.
I should add that I'm learning Arabic and not because I want to. I hated being in Cairo. But I'm doing it to help out in the fight against the Islamo-fascists. Think of learning a foreign language as something one can do for one's country. It's not just a matter of whether it's going to helpful in your own life. It's a matter of helping the U.S. thrive in the world.
JFP
Mike T, I think many Europeans agree with you. They may voice anti-Americanisms themselves, but some are equally disgusted by Americans who badmouth their own country abroad. I've even heard some stop short in the middle of US-bashing to defend the country against Americans who are agreeing with them.
ReplyDeleteI'm also curious as to whether Barry speaks fluent French. Did the article mention that and I missed it (I can't watch the video at work)?
Obama, mange-moi!
ReplyDeleteI don't have the time--or inclination--to take up all the ad hominems hurled my way (to say nothing of the comically inaccurate speculations about my political affiliations). I just want to clear up some confusion about my previous comment regarding great-grandparents, etc.
ReplyDeleteOf course Ellis Island was doing a roaring trade a hundred years ago: I did indeed know that. My point was that in 1900 the U.S. didn't interact with the outside world much; didn't need to; and consequently (apart from a smallish Eastern élite whose cultural touchstone was Great Britain) wasn't especially concerned with what happened outside its borders. The American economy was self-sufficient to a degree unimaginable today. Virtually every raw material needed here was produced here (rubber, perhaps, being a notable exception). Virtually everything manufactured here was sold here--partly, to be sure, the artificial result of a highly protected economy. There were no significant external threats. As late as 1939, the U.S. Army ranked just seventeenth in the world: larger than Portugal's, but some way behind Bulgaria's. The Monroe Doctrine still was practical politics, and isolationism was the order of the day. So strong was it, indeed, that if Hitler and Mussolini hadn't foolishly declared war on the U.S. after Pearl Harbor, it is profoundly unlikely that Congress would have done so against them.
None of that is true any more. What happens in Pakistan, Colombia or the Gulf today (and tomorrow, who knows--Nagorno-Karabakh? Indonesia? The Philippines?) impacts the U.S. almost immediately. Nor, contrary to Pat Buchanan's wishful and ahistorical fantasises, can this country "bring the troops home," avoid annoying anyone, and relapse into blissful isolationism. The U.S. is the locomotive of modernity. Its impact is global, and will remain so as long as it continues to export its technologies, its mass culture, and its universalist political ideals: the same ones that some genius above accused me of being ignorant. These are revolutionary forces, that merely by their existence have the most profoundly disruptive effect, for both good and ill, on traditional societies around the world. Americans can't limit or mitigate that impact without ceasing to be what they are. More to the point, they aren't going to.
That being the case, what needs to be done to ensure that the ramifications of all this don't end up producing unforeseen and undesirable results--e.g. a bunch of individuals of whom we've never heard and about whom we don't know very much flying commercial aircraft into tall buildings? Doing everything possible to increase the people of this country's knowledge and understanding of the rest of the world and its working seems to me to be a vitally important response. What you don't know can most definitely hurt you--indeed, kill you. Systematic and effective language training for American youth is not a sufficient component of that--I'd put a rigorous and wide-ranging study of history alongside it, or even above it--but it's a very necessary one. As I said previously, a survival skill, not the equivalent of being able to pontificate at dinner parties about expensive wines or grand opera.
Whether or not you can wander down to the corner deli and speak to any one of a hundred nationalities, or, conversely, being able to drive seven hundred miles without encountering someone who isn't an Anglophone monoglot is, I submit, entirely to miss the point. One can't defend a country or a culture without training and equipping oneself physically. Why should anyone imagine that it's possible to do so without training and equipping oneself intellectually?
Are you seriously offended that somebody thinks multilingualism is a good idea? That's all he's saying. But we're so arrogant here, we only need English. As the old linguistics joke goes - What do you call somebody who speaks two languages? Bilingual. Three languages? Trilingual. How about one language? Oh you call those Americans. It is embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteSorry if I misrepresented your argument, Gustave. We Americans are very proud of our diverse background, and your reference - conjuring up a mental picture of those elderly folks talking about the old country they fled, not knowing about the outside world - is just too funny.
ReplyDeleteYour point is taken. At least by me.
It may actually go full circle, with immigrants of that era deliberately turning away from their native language in their zeal to embrace the nation they chose. I've seen some of that.
A Russian immigrant once told me he had no interest in teaching his children their mother tongue. We have nothing to do with that place any more, he said.
ReplyDeleteSad. But boy does he love the old US of A. The most patriotic Americans are immigrants.
My brother-in-law's parents were actually offended when he took his family to visit China. But at least they passed on the language.
He's talking about education, morans. But judging by your current president, I guess you people like em stupid.
ReplyDeleteObama is a rude embarrassment! If he thinks, I'm stupid to vote for a President who will put down the American people; then he is sadly mistaken. He just lost my vote, I'm voting for McCain!
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteSome really excellent comments here...
Husseine the Inane doesn't get it of course...
Language is a tool to be used to communicate...
Picking up a second or third or more language skills if it isn't a hobby its due to some necessity...
Its no different than learning how to use a nail gun or a circular saw...
BTW for someone alledgedly as well educated as Hussein the Inane is suppose to be he sure is a stumble bumb when it comes to speaking without a teleprompter or someone feeding him his lines...
I mean Hussein the Inane's English language skills just SUCK!...
One thing liberals like Obama fail to take into account is the geographic necessity of speaking multiple languages in Europe. If you live in a small country surrounded by many different countries with different languages you will, out of necessity, learn multiple languages. The fact that English is the major business language of the day, that Canada speaks English , and that a large portion of Americans in the Southwest also speak Spanish totally eludes the modern-day liberal. That's because it doesn't fit squarely with the "Americans are ignorant" meme they like to propagate.
ReplyDeleteVicAjax said:
ReplyDelete"He's talking about education, morans."
You spelled "morons" wrong.
Wanna take a stab at "ironic"?
Obama himself cannot speak French and yet, he is planning a visit to France in the coming weeks.
ReplyDeleteIs he, his own embarrassment?
Let's see. Senator Obama was involved in the Annenberg Challenge to Chicago, with Bill Ayers. Did the CAC conclude that learning French was the key to improving the education for students in Chicago's public schools? Is this what Obama inflicted on the students in Chicago?
ReplyDeleteAlso, whatever became of the 49.2 million spent on the CAC, and what were the results, Senator?
Senator Obama's comments sound insulting and condescending.
George Soros is French? Who knew? Americans are very ignorant of the outside world. I met an American while travelling in Europe last year, and when I told him where I was from he asked if we spoke english there. Good grief!
ReplyDeleteYes. You are embarrassing. Think about Federer, who is an athlete first and foremost. Probably the best tennis player who ever lived. And he speaks German, French and English fluently. You people are pathetic.
ReplyDeleteBonne chance, viel gluck, um...yes...baise-moi. And fick mich, anonymous 10:46.
Actually, the counterpart to insisting that American children learn Spanish as their second language would be for Europeans to insist that their children learn Arabic as their second language.
ReplyDeletePress 1 for McCain in English;
ReplyDeletePress 2 para Obama en Espanol.
The reason most Euros speak two languages (their own plus English) is because English is the international language. Spanish is not.
Obama is clearly pandering to those who want to force the US to become a bilingual nation in order to accomodate the hordes of illegal aliens who would flood in under his presidency.
"Why is Obama is wasting time in Europe?"
ReplyDeleteWhy was McCain wasting his time in Colombia?
A few years ago I was surprised to learn that in fact the majority of the world's people are bilingual as a matter of course---they live in an area where two languages are spoken, because of borders or the neccessity to speak English as well as the local tongue. I worked hard at learning to speak two other languages well (French and Russian) and getting along at basic level in several others. I have found all the language knowledge I have to be very useful in life and work, and enriching besides. People who are aggressively monolingual are missing out on a lot.
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with you people!? (Sorry, just frustrated after reading all of the comments) Obama didn't suggest learning French, he suggested learning Spanish (or more broadly SOME other language). The French phrase was used as an example of the most basic non-English phrase that English speakers would know.
ReplyDeleteTo all those insinuating that Obama suggested Americans all learn French, did you just misread his answer, or are you wilfully mischaracterizing it? (I'm genuinely curious)
I'm from Maine. My Mom is French-Can. We refuse and will never learn to speak French. It is the lingua of people who think Old Orchard Beach is a paradise of speedos and string bikinis on fat women. And that filming American chicks in bikinis is a the best thing you can do on vacation next to getting loaded at the motel pool and chain smoking.
ReplyDeleteIt is embarrassing that there are this many narrow-minded people in this country. Learning a second language helps you better understand grammar, spelling, and meanings of English, in addition to being exposed to other cultures. I cannot believe that you people would denigrate LEARNING as snobbish. Ignorance is not bliss, but it seems rampant in this country.
ReplyDeleteYou may have disagreements with Obama on policy (heck, I do) but this argument just makes you all look ignorant.
About the people who say that "learning isn't snobbish..." I'm a conservative, et j'ai suivi le francais pour sept ans (mais ma grammaire est terrible). It's not that learning is snobbish, it's the way in which Obama decided to encourage Americans to learn other languages. Saying it's "embarassing" that we cannot is absolutely on the snobby side.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said:
ReplyDelete"VicAjax said:
"He's talking about education, morans."
You spelled "morons" wrong.
Wanna take a stab at "ironic"?"
Holy cow... I was being sarcastic by spelling "moron" wrong.
you guys are even dumberer than i anticipated, but thanks for helping to make my point.
"I met an American while travelling in Europe last year, and when I told him where I was from he asked if we spoke english there. Good grief!"
ReplyDeleteI met this guy in England once, and he asked me where I was from. It turns out that he had never heard of Chicago. Never even heard the placename before. I thought to myself, Good grief! Europeans are so ignorant of the outside world.
No, actually what I thought was, it's strange to me as a Chicagoan that this person has never heard of the city. But maybe in his life in smalltown England, it doesn't matter to him where or what Chicago is. Maybe there are lots of other things he does know about which I'd discover in time, no doubt, provided I wasn't hellbent on making a judgment about him and everyone like him based on a brief, passing encounter.
I happen to agree that learning one or more foreign languages is good, for a variety of reasons. But this attitude that not doing so equals ignorance and arrogance is typical Euro-elite B.S. Most educated Europeans know another European language. So, of course, speaking a European language becomes enshrined as a virtue. And more importantly, it becomes a virtue with which they can judge and snivel at Americans. I have never, in my whole life, heard Asians or Africans complaining about how Americans are monoglots. Maybe they do, but I've never heard or read anything suggesting so. It's just Europeans. As usual.
Maybe Obama forces all us Americans to learn to speak Spanish all the illegal aliens flooding our borders won't seem so massive.
ReplyDeleteUh oh, what about the terrorists trying to kill us? I guess we will have to learn to speak Arabic as well so they won't seem so bad either.
I guess we will be able to say "adios" to our country correctly.
Re: anonymous at 8:55. I'd agree about the elitism.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing to note about American elites is that, in spite of their "cosmopolitanism," they seem to get their news from the same narrow group of sources: The NY Times, The Nation, and NPR. Notice that all of these are domestic. They won't look at the Guardian even, despite its being slanted to their way of thinking.
Wow...only conservatives could see advocating for more education as "elitist." Stay stupid.
ReplyDelete"Holy cow... I was being sarcastic by spelling "moron" wrong."
ReplyDeleteYeah, sure you were, Vic.
"I meant to do that." - Pee Wee Herman.
Cindy: It is embarrassing that there are this many narrow-minded people in this country...I cannot believe that you people would denigrate LEARNING as snobbish. Ignorance is not bliss, but it seems rampant in this country.
ReplyDeleteKeep stroking that Strawman, Cindy.
When you're done, go demand a refund from your college.
VicAjax: judging by your current president, I guess you people like em stupid.
ReplyDelete[yawn] We agree that Bush is a horrible public speaker.
But you think that means he's stupid... which says more about your intelligence than his.
Fen, Vic said nothing about Bush being stupid because of how he speaks. I happen to think he's stupid because he had the perfect chance to capture Osama bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora but instead decided to waste all of our resources on a five-year conflict in Iraq. And just now, seven years after 9/11, he's saying that he thinks we can capture bin Laden and achieve peace in the Middle East before he's out of office. His bad speaking skills merely underscore his stupidity.
ReplyDeleteObama just lost this VOTE. He is approaching the "can't stand him" zone...fast.
ReplyDeleteWhat an idiot. The Dems will lose the White House pandering to millions of ILLEGAL FOREIGN ALIENS who DO NOT have the power of the American VOTE.
Baci mi culo!
ANONYMOUS said:
ReplyDelete"Yeah, sure you were, Vic."
i'm embarrassed for you that you aren't aware of the creative spelling (by one of your own, no less) that sparked a intrawebz phenomenon 18 months ago.
here's a linky; don't say i never gave you anything:
MORANS: http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/morans.jpg
You all are a bunch of idiots, the typical Ugly Americans. God forbid our children become more competitive in the world. The Gateway Pundit is just another reason to wish I was European or Canadian.
ReplyDelete